Pending increases in water bills generate fury

Published: Tuesday, February 5, 2013 at 9:20 p.m.

Last Modified: Tuesday, February 5, 2013 at 9:32 p.m.

PALM COAST -- The voices of dissent about pending water rate increases reached their loudest volumes to date Tuesday.

Every seat in the Palm Coast Community Center was occupied during the City Council meeting, the second-to-last public meeting before Feb. 19, the date council members will vote on the proposed utility rate hike.

Twenty speakers walked one by one to the microphone to convey their complaints, which centered on the future cost of water. One resident demanded more specifics on how the money will be spent. One called for the city manager to be fired. Another said he paid less than $20 per month for water while he lived in Long Island, N.Y. Today, he said, he is paying $80.

Mayor Jon Netts said there are three "components" to a water system -- distribution, treatment and acquisition. The first component doesn't cost considerably more or less in Palm Coast compared with other municipalities. Every city has pipes and pumps that move the water along.

However, treatment and acquisition is going to cost more in a place like Palm Coast, which doesn't have a clean water source like reservoirs lined with stone or an easily accessed water source like melting snow trickling down a mountain.

"Where we are has a direct impact on the cost of acquisition and the cost of treatment," Netts told the audience following the public comments. "This is largely a question of geography."

Rose Panetta, a local nurse, elicited thunderous applause when she suggested cutting back on the landscaping throughout the city. That, in turn, would reduce the city's own water bill, she said.

Realtor Rebecca Obst said one of her biggest challenges with her job is overcoming her customers' reaction whenever she addresses what their utility bills would cost after they relocated to Palm Coast.

"Not only do I sell homes in Palm Coast, but I also sell Palm Coast," Obst said. "We need to get it thriving again ... We need people here to own these empty houses. We need to stop doing what we're doing."

Netts said the city is responding to growth estimates and the likelihood of the federal government invoking hefty fines if there isn't enough infrastructure to meet the growing number of residents.

Dan Bozza accused the council of having an "iceberg vision" of governing. He said the city sees "10 percent of a problem" and leaps forward to fix it. The city has deeper issues, Bozza said, than the possibility of outgrowing its water and wastewater infrastructure.

Increasing utility bills will continue to burden residents who are struggling to make ends meet, Bozza said. He based his argument on the increasing number of parents who are leaning on reduced-rate or free lunches for their school-age children.

"The more people we push in (the homeless) category, we will wake up one morning and realize we're living in Detroit," Bozza said.

Based on a study, council members said the average water bill for an individual household will increase from $54.64 per month to $59.25 if the new rates are approved.

The council will hold a Feb. 12 workshop on the proposed utility increases.

In other City Council business:

Council members appointed Jon Netts to a one-year term on the 19-seat Volusia Transportation Planning Organization. Palm Coast was invited to join after the urban boundaries across Flagler and Volusia counties were reconfigured following the 2010 census.

The city, in turn, will have more leverage to lobby for federal grant money related to transportation improvements. "I will take it for a year and see where it goes from there," Netts said of his appointment.

<p>PALM COAST -- The voices of dissent about pending water rate increases reached their loudest volumes to date Tuesday. </p><p>Every seat in the Palm Coast Community Center was occupied during the City Council meeting, the second-to-last public meeting before Feb. 19, the date council members will vote on the proposed utility rate hike. </p><p>Twenty speakers walked one by one to the microphone to convey their complaints, which centered on the future cost of water. One resident demanded more specifics on how the money will be spent. One called for the city manager to be fired. Another said he paid less than $20 per month for water while he lived in Long Island, N.Y. Today, he said, he is paying $80. </p><p>Mayor Jon Netts said there are three "components" to a water system -- distribution, treatment and acquisition. The first component doesn't cost considerably more or less in Palm Coast compared with other municipalities. Every city has pipes and pumps that move the water along. </p><p>However, treatment and acquisition is going to cost more in a place like Palm Coast, which doesn't have a clean water source like reservoirs lined with stone or an easily accessed water source like melting snow trickling down a mountain. </p><p>"Where we are has a direct impact on the cost of acquisition and the cost of treatment," Netts told the audience following the public comments. "This is largely a question of geography." </p><p>Rose Panetta, a local nurse, elicited thunderous applause when she suggested cutting back on the landscaping throughout the city. That, in turn, would reduce the city's own water bill, she said. </p><p>Realtor Rebecca Obst said one of her biggest challenges with her job is overcoming her customers' reaction whenever she addresses what their utility bills would cost after they relocated to Palm Coast. </p><p>"Not only do I sell homes in Palm Coast, but I also sell Palm Coast," Obst said. "We need to get it thriving again ... We need people here to own these empty houses. We need to stop doing what we're doing." </p><p>Netts said the city is responding to growth estimates and the likelihood of the federal government invoking hefty fines if there isn't enough infrastructure to meet the growing number of residents. </p><p>Dan Bozza accused the council of having an "iceberg vision" of governing. He said the city sees "10 percent of a problem" and leaps forward to fix it. The city has deeper issues, Bozza said, than the possibility of outgrowing its water and wastewater infrastructure. </p><p>Increasing utility bills will continue to burden residents who are struggling to make ends meet, Bozza said. He based his argument on the increasing number of parents who are leaning on reduced-rate or free lunches for their school-age children. </p><p>"The more people we push in (the homeless) category, we will wake up one morning and realize we're living in Detroit," Bozza said. </p><p>Based on a study, council members said the average water bill for an individual household will increase from $54.64 per month to $59.25 if the new rates are approved. </p><p>The council will hold a Feb. 12 workshop on the proposed utility increases. </p><p>In other City Council business: </p><p>Council members appointed Jon Netts to a one-year term on the 19-seat Volusia Transportation Planning Organization. Palm Coast was invited to join after the urban boundaries across Flagler and Volusia counties were reconfigured following the 2010 census. </p><p>The city, in turn, will have more leverage to lobby for federal grant money related to transportation improvements. "I will take it for a year and see where it goes from there," Netts said of his appointment.</p>